Second birth.. was it a different experience to your first?

[blossomstar]

Due my second baby in just over 2 weeks. Had a horrible first birth.. and can't help but feel it's going to be exactly the same again... any reassurance? X

I came to say something along these lines but this has articulated it perfectly.

I swanned into my second labour thinking it would be a piece of cake because everyone told me the second is easier than the first, and my first had been quick and straightforward. My huge, malpositioned second baby had other ideas. It's his first birthday next month and I'm still not totally over the shock of it.

The moral of my story would be to just go into it without any expectation about how this experience will compare to your first baby. A new baby, a new experience.

Both of mine were pretty straightforward and easy. Second was a little bit trickier as I had an induction which in hindsight I wish I hadn't had. My first was just gas and air, got to the hospital at 8cm dilated and baby was born an hour later.

My second was born 12 hours after I had the pessary and I had an epidural which I wish I hadn't had as I then had to wait for the feeling to come back into my legs to be able to move. This took 13 hours!! With my first I was up within a few hours.

Both were born fast though in 3 pushes and a few minutes.

Good luck, I am sure you will be fine!

Mine was longer, harder and more painful BUT DC2 was almost 3lb heavier (and 2 weeks later) than DC1!

Dreading DC3!!